Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni's Heart Skipped a Beat × Cutting Morena Off

[Hint: "Power of Faith" reset to zero. "Swordsmanship" experience is increasing... +10... +50... +100... +1000...]

[Current "Swordsmanship": lv3(7548/10000)→lv4(142/100000)]

[Note: lv4 (Sword Intent Domain), hint... The host can broaden their Sword Path by combining the Nen Ability "Gate of Cognition" with "Visualization Objects"...]

Creation comes from learning from... imitating...

[Sword] and [Sun]... Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni!

As the "Gate of Cognition" flickered, a dignified, weathered old face, covered with hideous scars, rapidly materialized in Roy's mind... It had white eyebrows and a white beard, and a braided strand of hair on its chin that almost reached its feet. Its dim, half-white old eyes, weathered by the years, narrowed slightly... instantly making one's breath catch and heart pound!

Roy's master, Urokodaki Sakonji, had told Roy the Asauchi was only for practice. Once he officially passed the Demon Slayer Corps Selection and became a Demon Slayer, a craftsman from the Swordsmith Village would personally come to his door to deliver a sword forged... However, Roy's master's suggestion was gently rejected by the Sun-Earring Boy on the very day he first held Short Blade.

A knife forged by someone else will ultimately be mixed with that person's will, and will not be pure enough!

No matter how well-made, exquisite, sharp, or capable of cutting a hair with a single blow, it's impossible to achieve true "man and knife as one" when using it, because the user is different!

Unlike Asauchi, it's a "common" sword; all Asauchi are cast from the same mold, lacking distinctive features, yet possessing unique characteristics in every aspect, with the potential to expand in "Infinite directions"... especially when one perceives a higher-ranking figure as a "master"...

Roy gently stroked the blade, his gaze softening as he opened every Aura Nodes of his body, transforming all his Nen Qi into True Meaning of Scorching Heat, connecting it with the Great Sun high above the church dome, and pouring it all into Asauchi. He softly uttered, "Bankai, Zanka no Tachi!"

"Whoosh~" A gust of wind rushed into the dilapidated church, instantly taking away all the noise!

The world seemed to have been paused at that moment!

With only a knife left and himself, he became the only light in the eyes of Bolton, Ilya, Kastro, Chrollo, and many other men in black and scavengers West District 4th Street in the West District of Meteor City!

Silence! The fire and light were absorbed into the blade, without a trace... The Asauchi quietly settled in Roy's hand, turning from "red" to "black," like an ordinary wooden stick charred by fire, no longer burning, yet still emitting a lingering "fire"...

At one point, a soft "creak" was heard.

The moment when "Asauchi" underwent its transformation...

The large door, bearing the inscription of a "Towering Corpse Demon" among the many "gateways" of Roy's Cognitive World, trembled as if sensing something, and opened a crack...

A corner peeks out from the seam...

A small courtyard and a long corridor came into view. An old man, a middle-aged man, and two animals, an orange tabby and a raccoon dog, were all at ease. However... the old man, who sat cross-legged in the corridor, with a long, white beard and leaning on a wooden cane, slowly opened his eyes...

Two beams of divine light suddenly shot out from his narrow eyes, startling the orange and tanuki so much that their fur stood on end...

Wearing Shihakusho over a high-necked shirt, with white hair and golden eyes, and sometimes dressed in a Western style, Sasakibe Chojiro stopped tending to two potted plants in front of him and turned around to look...

"What's wrong, Zizai?" (Note: "Zizai" is also known as "Yuanliuzai," which is the private name that the First Division Vice-Captain Sasakibe Chojiro, uses for Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni. The cross-shaped scar on Yamamoto's forehead was left on him by Sasakibe Chojiro as an opponent many years ago.)

The old man remained silent, only extending a withered hand to his chest, feeling the heart that, despite over two thousand years of erosion, still beat steadily. Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, lost in thought, looked up at the high-hanging Great Sun in the sky and slowly said, "Chōjirō, my heart is in turmoil."

Sasakibe Chojiro raised his two sexy little mustaches and asked in surprise, "Are you still worried about Kyoraku and Ukitake?"

Kyoraku was lazy, Ukitake was frail... neither of them were truly suitable candidates to inherit the mantle. Sasakibe Chojiro had followed Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni over two thousand years; how could he not understand Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni's intentions? He continued watering the plants, advising, "Thirteenth Division is full of talent; we have no shortage of capable people. If you're really bored..."

"Taking on another disciple to pass the time wouldn't hurt..."

As for... whether he could inherit the mantle of his captain and even his close friend... Sasakibe Chojiro didn't even want to think about it... because... it was too difficult!

To put it bluntly, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni is the sun; it is thanks to his brilliance that the Seireitei is now stable!

So... where in the world can he find a second sun?

"Should I take one more?" The old man touched his chest, lost in thought.

My heart skipped a beat for no reason, and then... with a creak, the gap that had opened closed again...

The gate, branded with the word "Corpse Demon," was locked...

Hunter World, Meteor City.

Roy, immersed in his "Bankai," listens to Short Blade's excited, joyful, impatient, and eager expressions... as he tells him he wants to show him his new power...

Dressed as Priest, Roy grasped Asauchi's hand and moved it, causing the sun pendant on his chest to sway, before delivering a seemingly ordinary horizontal slash.

"Zanka no Tachi - East - Rising Sun Blade!"

A seemingly ordinary thin line flashed across the surface... Bolton's fists touched, setting the "explosion" again. Then, Ilya activated his Nen Ability— "Vector Manipulation"—and flicked out a "vector arrow," triggering the "explosion" and sending it towards Roy...

The "explosion" was like a dud, extinguished the instant the thin wire passed through, followed by... the continuous destruction of tables, chairs, floors, and... everything tangible that could be reflected in the pupils of Bolton and Ilya!

"Damn it, use [Strong] now!"

"That guy's knife is faulty!"

"What you're saying... is too late..."

As Ilya's pupils contracted, he suddenly leaped back a step. The ever-proud Bolton, having just unleashed [Firmness], had his lower body vanish instantly, leaving only a face staring at Ilya in terror. Then, inch by inch, piece by piece, it was erased as if by an eraser. Before he could even cry for help, Shunpo the footsteps of the tables and chairs, disappearing into the world.

[Zanka no Tachi - East - Rising Sun Blade], all things turn to ashes, the Ryujin Jakka!

It doesn't burn, nor does it release any visible "explosive flames." It simply vaporizes everything the blade's light can touch with its intense heat... In Soul Reaper, during the Thousand-Year Blood War, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni's single strike covered the entire Seireitei, leaving everyone hoarse and turning their heads in awe. At its peak, the blade's temperature was said to be close to that of the sun's core. Roy casually slashed, carefully sensing the temperature his own "Bankai" could reach, compared to Yamamoto's, even fell short of the temperature of Yamamoto's "Shikai," Ryujin Jakka, saying, "Still too weak."

The temperature wasn't high enough... his understanding of the sun wasn't deep enough... his training years were too short... and since it wasn't his true form, he could only unleash 80% of his true form's combat power... The Sun-Earring Boy watched with dissatisfaction as everything in the church hall vaporized, gradually engulfing Ilya's feet. This Nen user, known as the "Dominator" and a "Manipulation, showed a hint of panic for the first time beneath his calm face. He took a step back, then another... In the blink of an eye, he reached the wall and climbed onto the window: "Stop!"

"Aren't you afraid of Morena? Aren't you afraid of being wanted by Kakin worldwide?"

"She is the king's daughter! His Highness Tserriednich's elder sister!"

"They've already killed them, that Priest definitely won't care about this." On the tall garbage mountain Neighboring Street No. 4, Chrollo, who was taking in everything through the broken windows of the church with his binoculars, said absentmindedly.

That slash created a visual effect that he could never, ever, perform in the Cleaning Squad!

"Hot... so hot... Pakunoda, you're sweating..." Shalnark glanced at the girl sharing a telescope with Chrollo. Pakunoda drenched in sweat, oblivious to the heat. Her beautiful eyes were wide open as she watched the church instantly "refresh" to reveal its contents. The girl's brain completely shut down; she couldn't process the "heat signal" anymore. What was going on? Why were they all spacing out?

"Let me see it?" Shalnark pushed past Pakunoda, leaned close to Chrollo, and peered into the church through the peephole. Suddenly, he exclaimed, "Why is the church empty?!"

One more glance... the mirror reflected the sword-wielding Sun-Earring Boy, silent, but with a raised hand, a flash of light shot out... causing the Short Blade in his Bankai form to suddenly extend... crossing the distance of space and instantly stabbing straight at Elder Ilya's face.

The Seventh Elder, who controlled others through "Vector Manipulation," hardened his heart and uttered a soft "Turn back!"

Suddenly, another "arrow" hooked the blade's light, stabbing back at Roy. His face darkened instantly after Roy's silent rejection, and he coldly said, "You think I'm afraid of you?"

Actually... I'm giving you a chance!

Vector Manipulation: Eightfold Strangulation!

[Vector Manipulation]: By using the [Circle] as radar and "Thought" as "Guide" to manipulate the "vector," Ilya can designate a target and instantly fire one to eight arrows at will!

He can attack or defend, and as long as the "Nen Qi" is not perceived, relying on the "vector" to pull, no attack can land on him... including "sword light"!

"The mechanism... this is no longer about 'numbers,' but rather touching the edge of the 'mechanism'..."

[The God Spear] returned, but Roy converted a wisp of Magnetism, freezing him in place... The Sun-Earring Boy instantly grasped Ilya's Nen Ability, narrowed his eyes, and watched as eight "arrows" like eight sharp blades enveloped him from above. He sighed and said, "This church is actually quite nice. I really don't want to destroy it..."

He remained calm and composed, unleashing another strike... and vanished, instantly appearing behind Ilya, where he roared, "Vector, return!"

First come, first served!

A stab wound, wreathed in a flame of 6,000 degrees Celsius, pierced his protective armor, creating a hole in his heart, then smashed through a church wall... Under Ilya's desperate gaze, filled with agonizing disbelief. "You are not just a 'manifestation,' but also a 'trait'..."

Turn it to ashes...

The knife possesses the heat to melt everything, the ability to thrust across space, and the ability to vanish unpredictably.

"Your manifestation is manifestation, but my manifestation is more than just manifestation..."

The Short Blade was sheathed with a resounding clang...

The Sun-Earring Boy stood where Ilya had vaporized, catching a wisp of his vapor, and calmly said, "It seems Morena doesn't care about you much either..."

She didn't even tell me that "all departments ultimately lead to the 'Trait' department."

Is it the tragedy of Ilya and Bolton, or the cold-heartedness of Morena?

[Hint: "Life Energy" +120... +150...]

[Note: "Life Energy" is struggling violently... attempting to fly solo... currently being intercepted...]

[Note: Interception successful.]

The panel's notification sound appeared...

A pair of deathly gray eyes, seemingly unseen, met Roy's gaze across the Undead of Ilya and Bolton that had just materialized...

The woman reached out and grabbed, but unexpectedly, Ilya and Bolton quickly split into emaciated, pale-faced Undead, some howling, some dazed, and some crying excitedly. A moment later, they all bowed to Roy and instantly disappeared into his body...

The woman, wearing a floral hair tie, missed her target and stood there stunned for a moment. Before disappearing, she gazed deeply at Roy, lost in thought...

You... are very good...

"Pop~" The image rippled across the surface of water, then shattered.

Roy, holding a scripture and wearing Sun Pendant around his neck, his robe swaying in the wind in the empty church, his solitary figure reflected in the woman's lifeless gray eyes...

The Kakin Empire, the home of the Ai-I-I family.

Morena Brut came to her senses, and the strange behavior was keenly noticed by the Dog-Headed Man standing beside her, who had always been watching over her.

"Morena, you're daydreaming," he said.

"Dog-Head, Ilya, and Bolton... are dead..."

"Who?"

"Ilya and Bolton."

Morena, resting her chin on her hand, leaned back in her chair at her desk. Before her lay a letter of intent for cooperation sent by Beyond. For the first time, a glimmer of light appeared in her deathly gray eyes as she repeated with interest, "I saw it... it was a Sun-Earring Boy Priest... he's the one who killed my Ilya and Bolton..."

The Dog-Headed Man, resembling Old Kohler, was of unknown origin—whether Phantom Beast or a human transformed through Nen Ability —after a two-second silence, he glanced at Morena and asked, "So?"

"What are you planning to do? Avenge those two good-for-nothings?"

"No,"

Morena touched her lips with her index finger, carefully recalling Roy's appearance, those indifferent eyes... for some reason, they were so likable!

The woman's lips parted, and she smiled slightly, a rare occurrence for her. "It doesn't matter that the two of them are dead, but my magnanimity has been stolen... Dog-Head..."

Morena licked her lips. "I smelled a familiar scent on him, maybe..."

"They're the same kind!"

"That guy must be crazy too!" The Dog-Headed Man shrugged, making no attempt to hide it from Morena. "Please, dealing with one of you isn't enough for me, I don't have the energy to deal with a second one."

"Woof..."

A dog's bark echoed in the small study.

What followed was the woman's silly laughter.